Playing its second game in 18 hours, the Todd County Central Lady Rebels had one slip away from them Saturday afternoon. Whether it was tired legs for the Lady Rebels or defensive pressure from Whitesville Trinity, the Lady Raiders scored the final eight points of the game to steal out of town with a 62-60 win.
Cassidy Morris made two free throws with 5.9 seconds to go in the game for the winning points for Whitesville Trinity.
The Lady Raiders looked early on like they would control the entire afternoon. Trinity jumped out to an early 10-2 lead behind the play of Morris and Josie Aull, who both started the game red hot from behind the 3-point line. The Lady Rebels would fight back and trim the lead to 17-14 by the end of the opening quarter.
The Lady Raiders continued to get hot shooting from behind the arc from Morris and Aull. The duo connected on three more deep shots to push the lead out to 30-23 late in the first half.
Abby Williams and Alexis Taylor got cranked up in the final minutes of the half to help bring the Lady Rebels right back. By the break, the Trinity lead had been cut to 31-30. That late first half run set up the rest of the game to be a tightly contested affair with momentum swings in both directions.
Todd Central took the lead for the first time as they opened the second half with a 9-3 spurt to go up 39-34. Trinity came right back with a 9-0 run of their own to go back up 43-39. The back and forth continued through the rest of the quarter, with the Lady Rebels pulling in front 48-45 at the quarter’s end.
Williams and Taylor, who had big second halves for Todd County Central got things rolling in the fourth quarter to move the Lady Rebels out to their biggest lead of the day at 52-45. Todd Central appeared to have things well in hand inside of the final minute, holding a 60-54 lead. But then the wheels came off the wagon.
Four straight free throws cut the lead to two, and then Trinity tied the game at 60-60 on a basket by Maddie Logsdon, setting up the winning free throws from Cassidy Morris. Trinity’s defensive pressure forced a couple of key mistakes late from the Lady Rebels that helped to make the comeback possible.
Todd County Central was paced by Lucy Chester with 18 points. Fourteen of those came in the first half. Freshman Abby Williams ended the game with 17, while 8th grader Alexis Taylor added 13.
Trinity’s Cassidy Morris led all scorers in the game with 28 points. Josie Aull added 22. Aull, with her 4th 3-pointer of the opening half, reached the 1000 point club at Whitesville Trinity.
Todd Central falls to 6-7 on the season. The Lady Rebels will host University Heights on Monday.
Trinity improves to 2-6. The Lady Raiders will host Breckinridge County on Tuesday.
WTHS — 17 14 14 17 – 62
TCCHS — 14 16 18 12 – 60
Whitesville Trinity (2-6) – Morris 28, Aull 22, Hibbit 8, Logsdon 4
Todd County Central (6-7) – Chester 18, Williams 17, Taylor 13, Coleman 8, Kay 4
